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Thursday, June 16, 2011

Cranberry Glazed Salmon

In school, we talk a lot about inflammation. The more I learn about various disease states, the more the word inflammation pops up as a precursor to just about everything. The answer to this of course is to lead an anti-inflammatory life.

I can see you looking at me with raised eyebrows.

I know. We live in the world of computers, smart phones, and fast fast fast everything. Lead an anti-inflammatory life? What does that even mean?

It's simple. Just practice yoga daily, get eight hours of sleep a night, don't ever stress the small stuff, drink a fresh vegetable juice every morning, make sure to drink sixty four ounces of water daily, and eat like a rich movie star who can afford to have fresh, organic meals delivered to her door multiple times a day. Right? Right.

Are you telling me that's not realistic? Pshaw. Of course it is.

Okay maybe not. But here's something simple you can start with.

Cranberry Glazed Salmon. Wild-caught salmon is a great source of omega 3 fatty acids, which are an integral part of eating an anti-inflammatory diet. It is also one of the few foods that has significant amounts of vitamin D. And if you live in the Pacific Northwest, you know just how important vitamin D is. If not, just trust me. You need your D. The glaze also contains cranberries and lemon juice, both of which contain a number of antioxidant compounds. Antioxidants do what? They quench free radicals, which makes your cells much happier. And happy cells means less inflammation.

So there you go. You get a delicious dinner, and you're already on your way to leading an anti-inflammatory life. Now you've just got to work on the next thing on your list. Right now, I'm trying to take on that whole eight hours of sleep thing. I can tell you that I've already lost the battle for tonight. On the other hand, I did do two hours of yoga today, and I'm pretty sure that makes up for lack of sleep. Kind of.

Cranberry Glazed Salmon (print friendly option)This beautiful red glaze goes well with poultry as well, and would make for a uniquely flavorful turkey.

Tear two pieces of foil large enough to wrap the salmon in. Drizzle about a teaspoon of olive oil in the middle of each piece, and lay the salmon over it.

In a food processor, puree the cranberries, raisin, lemon juice, garam masala and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Spoon evenly over the salmon. Wrap the salmon in foil, making sure to fold seams at the ends.

Place in oven on top of a baking sheet for approximately 15 minutes (if you have thick fillets, you may need to leave them in a few more minutes). Take out of oven and let sit for 2-3 minutes before opening and serving.

Fantastic post, Iris! Needed this today, so thank you. Getting the 8 hours of sleep is the hardest for me by far. This salmon looks out of this world good. I could live on salmon ... truly--so thanks for that, too! :-)